Ideas, inspirations, representations, expressions

This is long overdue: sharing about the art I make. Inspirations, ideas, process. Until recently, I haven't posted more than updates as that somehow felt self-important. It wasn't why I was doing art and it was always enough for me to know where it came from, what it means to me and to let people have their own experience of it. However, people frequently ask how my creative ideas/ inspirations/ visions arise; many have suggested writing about it. Then, I was recently questioned whether I’d copied another Burner's piece. I was taken aback, and quite surprised by the comparison, as the pieces don’t look alike to me ( ironically, while I like some of this artist’s work, the piece in question is not one that speaks to me, and from the only year I didn’t go to Burning Man). I found the suggestion offensive but, on the other hand, it was a useful exchange, as it made me reconsider whether there was value in sharing more about this work which, while personal in inspiration, is something I ultimately express in the public sphere… to be shared with 70,000 others no less.Living in Asia for 20 years, surrounded by insects and sacred architecture, I know well where my inspirations lie, but from this exchange, I realized that a US city person wouldn’t necessarily perceive contextual influences that are so self-evident to me. While people will see art through their own filters, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to offer commentary, to give a little structure to the experience….As I really enjoy coming to a piece of art, first having my own experience of it, then reading what the artist wanted to express, then going back and seeing it through the artist’s filter, I decided that sharing more than updates about the art might actually be interesting, and not necessarily a sign of utter self-absorption. So, in between travel and working on a new project, I’ll going to do a post series of paragraphs and images about my art involvements: art that inspired me, especially in Asia; Nature in “my” art; the nudges and sparks that fertilized the growing interest in making Playa art in the first place. No great statements will be made, but as I like hearing about other people’s creative journeys, perhaps this will be of interest to some of my friends, fellow artists."